Dustin Poirier became UFC's interim lightweight champion in April and now faces Khabib Nurmagomedov in an unification bout at UFC 242 on September 7 in Abu Dhabi. Getty
Dustin Poirier became UFC's interim lightweight champion in April and now faces Khabib Nurmagomedov in an unification bout at UFC 242 on September 7 in Abu Dhabi. Getty
Dustin Poirier became UFC's interim lightweight champion in April and now faces Khabib Nurmagomedov in an unification bout at UFC 242 on September 7 in Abu Dhabi. Getty
Dustin Poirier became UFC's interim lightweight champion in April and now faces Khabib Nurmagomedov in an unification bout at UFC 242 on September 7 in Abu Dhabi. Getty

Dustin Poirier gets warm welcome in Abu Dhabi ahead of UFC 242 showdown with Khabib Nurmagomedov


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Dustin Poirier has arrived in Abu Dhabi ahead of his Lightweight Championship title unification match with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The two men will fight in the main event at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi at The Arena on September 7.

Nurmagomedov, the Lightweight champion, has not competed since October 2018 after serving a nine-month ban for his role in the post-match fight following his victory over Conor McGregor.

Since then Poirier was crowned Interim Lightweight champion after beating Max Holloway at UFC 236 in April.

Nurmagomedov has been training in the UAE since earlier this month but Poirier arrived on Friday, and he was given a warm record at Abu Dhabi International Airport, which you can see in the attached social media post on Twitter.

UFC 242 marks the promotion's return to the UAE capital for the first time since 2014, and is the first event in a five-year partnership signed earlier this year with the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).

It brings to a close the inaugural Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, which runs September 1-7.

Netherlands v UAE, Twenty20 International series

Saturday, August 3 - First T20i, Amstelveen
Monday, August 5 – Second T20i, Amstelveen​​​​​​​
Tuesday, August 6 – Third T20i, Voorburg​​​​​​​
Thursday, August 8 – Fourth T20i, Vooryburg

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Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

Specs

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday

Second leg

Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm

Game is on BeIN Sports

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en